Dog owner to pay R80 000 in damages after husky attacks son’s friend

Cape Town — A dog owner is to pay about R80 000 in compensation to his son’s friend who was attacked by his husky over nine years ago.

The victim, Micayla Marshall, was attacked when she was 17 years old and will receive R50 000 from the dog owner, Theo Pillay, as compensation.

Pillay had to also reach into his pockets to fork out money to cover Marshall’s bill for six physiotherapy sessions, bringing the total amount he has to pay to R80 000.

According to IOL, Marshall told the Western Cape High Court that she and her sister were invited by Pillay’s son for a social meet-up at their home. When they arrived, Marshall was instructed to enter through a side gate, which was opened with a remote.

She said two dogs came running out when the gate opened. The one dog, a Siberian husky, launched itself towards her throat. She raised her arms to ward off the attack, which resulted in both her forearms being bitten. Her sister and mother rushed to her aid.

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She said that she as well as the dog’s face had been covered in blood. She then had to undergo surgery with a plastic surgeon, who did a debridement of the wounds and sutured the wounds in the different layers of skin.

Marshall, who was in matric at the time, was unable to attend school, which frustrated her. She testified that she received therapy, but still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder whenever she sees a dog.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, a 5-year-old boy, Zibele Liyakhanya Mthi, succumbed to his injuries in hospital after being attacked by two pit bull terriers in a street in Dyamala village outside Alice in the Eastern Cape on Good Friday.